Found and bought a 1945 logan 200 lathe last weekend. It's a 10" swing with 24" centers. It came with 3 jaw chuck, steady rest, aluminum and steel backing plates, 14 change gears, dog ear, several tool holders and various old wrenches that I put as oem. So far I've only cleaned the ways as they looked like they were covered in a bunch of cosmoline, now the carriage floats like ****er! The plans at this point is a quick change tool post, a good cleaning and chasing down a good 6" 4 jaw chuck!! This is my first lathe and it's been sitting unused for the last 20 yrs so as I clean this thing up is there anything to watch or look out for? The only thing I have found at this point is just a little play in the carriage gear wheel. Haven't found any play in anything else, the rest of it feels nice and tight. Appreciate any help !!.
Very cool, good score. I bought a South Bend 13" lathe this winter. Should be fun making stuff and learning how to use it correctly.
In your excitement to use and experience this new addition to your building ****nal I would like to caution you a bit. I urge you to take some time to understand the hazards of lathes as well as any rotating machinery. Realize about loose clothing, jewelry, improperly chucked work pieces. Things of this nature. As well as maintaining situational awareness any time your machine is power on. Guards in place and tightened securely. Eye protection is imperative. These machines are not toys and produce incredible rotating torque. Not trying to discourage you. Have seen a bad accident happen very quickly I would not want any thing to spoil your enjoyment of a useful tool.
She's a dandy ! I'm sure once its up and running you will use it more than you thought. 4 jaw chuck should be cheap, most folks don't like them. Truth is there is no such thing as an accurate 3 jaw, so the 4 jaw lets you make it as accurate as you want. Get a magnetic holder for a dial indicator so you can stick it on your tool post and true up the part you have chucked up. You get fast at it after a while, and will leave the 3 jaw in storage
I use the 3 jaw chuck for most things on my 1940s south bend 9". I do get out the 4 jaw for a few things that need it. I also haven't converted to that modern quick change tooling. My lathe came with a bunch of old tooling, so I just keep using it. Not the fastest way to run a shop, but I don't try to make money with it, so that doesn't matter. The old tool holders work just fine. Looks like you have years of fun machining time ahead of you!
10-4 to the safety! I have a 15" Sheldon that I use at least once a week to make or fix something. I turn my own brake drums and rotors with it also. About two years ago I was turning a rear drum off my 49 Cadillac. I thought I had it mounted solidly in the 3 jaw chuck. It was turning about 150 rpm when it left the lathe. I always stand to one side when I first start the lathe. Luckily I was standing to the side as the carbide started to make it's first p***. Anyway, what I thought was secure was not. the drum flew out of the lathe like a rocket, hit the floor, traveled 25' across the garage, thru the drywall, insulation and cracked the cedar siding. Also, make a habit of always removing the jaw wrench between setups! Those can be dangerous projectiles also! But after a few projects, you will wonder how you got along with out one!
My Dad gave me his South Bend and after a while asked me if I ever used it. Only every time I go into my shop, a wonderful piece of equipment and I feel very fortunate to have it. Be sure everything is leveled side to side and front to back, but if the tailstock and tool carriage glides you're farting in tall corn, LOL
Watch out for 6 of your friends sneaking in in the middle of the night and absconding with it. Otherwise ditto the safety cautions. Oh and make especially sure you remove the chuck key. Always! Even if you think it'll only be a minute before you get back to it. And if you have small ones who visit your shop, a safety switch so it can't be turned on unless YOU want to.
I've got about 10 hrs of lathe time on a big grizzly model so I understand the safety part! Of course like all things, this was set up last time for cutting threads so the feed screw turns way too fast so a quick peruse of the manual and some reading on how and what gears to use to slow it down for metal turning I find that the 1 gear I'm missing is the 18 tooth gear that I actually need and the only bad gear I have is the 56 tooth I need that has a broke tooth. Couldn't be the ones I needed were for course threading!! But for 500. I'm very happy! I agree squirrel, I used the 3 jaw the most on the grizzly lathe but used the 4 jaw machining my rifle barrel. .
@e1956v your lucky ! You have the quick change gearbox. I'd like to find one for mine. That's a nice one you have there. .
I had a craftsman 12 inch without the quick change and sold it when I found the Logan with quick change. The quick change setup comes up for sale on eBay every once in a while, just have to watch for them.
If you are a newby, there is a book put out by SouthBend ***led "how to run a lathe" . Its available on ebay in reprint, its a must i believe. I have had a lathe for 30 years yet still refer to the book occasionally. I'll guarantee That if you stick a shaft in your 3 jaw chuck, and set up a dial indicator, it will be 1 or 2 thou off. Thats fine if you are going to turn the outside, because you will make it true. Also, for things that dont matter, like make a hole in a washer a better fit. But if you are trying to repair a round part, it needs to run true, and you need a 4 jaw chuck to do that. At anyrate, have fun !!
I had a Logan 200....the screw nuts for the cross feed were worn and needed replacement...It did the job..I sold it when I moved and now have a Southbend Model A....The cross feed nuts needed replacement, lol
My Clausing, it’s a great tool . The hand photo is the result of reaching over a spinning part with a loose shirt sleeve . Please be careful , the person you hurt the most will be your family .
Nice score, the ways look pretty clean, but it needs a good cleaning. I like to use diesel, but most types of spirits works, and I like to use a fine scotch brite, but some folks say don't do that on the ways, I've never had a problem with it. Just cleaning with a cloth and spirits will do wonders. You have the basics of what you need, 3-jaw, face plate, steady. Read up and study the types of oil to use in it and freshen all of it up. I would replace the toolpost but the lantern posts work ok. Much more convenient with the quick change. If you have never used a lathe before, this book is the cl***ic and about the best place to start. Very important to learn how to grind toolbits. South Bend, "How To Run a Lathe": http://www.vintagemachinery.org/pubs/1617/3789.pdf
A little duct tape and back to work! I have a used Acra Chinese 12x36 lathe. The one that Harbor Freight, Grizzley, etc., all sell. Got it from a school that was selling a dozen or so of them. Had to repair a couple broken gears, worn out bushings, and rewire the on/off switch but has worked perfectly ever since. I never had training on a lathe so all I make is round stuff but really love having it. Has saved me a ton on custom turning over the years.
When I lived in Connecticut I had 3 lathes. I sold them when I moved to Pennsylvania. Now I have an Atlas / Craftsman small bench lathe, But I haven't used it yet. It is time to get it in use.
I have to say that South Bend and Logan were really two companies that did became a game changer for machinists, they could then have lathes in their home shops. The small 9A runs on 120v single phase. Now, don't get me wrong...that Clausing is a great lathe, just that it ain't American! Maybe in the U.K. the Myford would be similar to the South Bend. If one is lucky enough to get a Schaublin loaded up with accessories, that's the creme de la creme, IMO, for small lathes. My main lathe is the last of the heavy toolroom lathes built in America. It came out of the Hershey factory in Oakville, CA. The riggers that moved them bought it and I got it from them a few years later, I'm pretty sure they couldn't figure out how to get the electrical working, it took me some time to figure it out...anyway, this weighs 4000 lbs. It has a ship date on the plate of 1963, which is right around the time Leland-Gifford bought Rivett. Hershey didn't receive the lathe until 1967, so out of it LG may have learned that they weren't good at manufacturing lathes, or just went on hard times...all the records were mostly destroyed in a fire... As we often hear..."They don't build 'em like they used to!" I also have a 1946 South Bend 9A that came out of the Levi Strauss factory in San Francisco. My Rivett 1020F is the 'Mutha of all American toolroom lathes, so in honor of all you 'Muthas out there, Happy 'Muthas Day!
I started checking into the q. change box and damn those do get expensive fast! Yeah the 3 jaw will have to get me by for awhile, blew my rat hole money buying the lathe. The screw nuts are on my list to check out, I'm hoping sitting the last 20 yrs has managed to give me a little more time to wear on them. Damn! @deathrowdave That's a warning poster pic right there !! Trust me I'll think about that every time I walk near the lathe with a long sleeve shirt !! Glad your ok. I've downloaded the book, I'll give it a read! We have a big grizzly at work we use for things like making bushings and spacers etc. My first use was watching a few YouTube videos and then straight to turning a 24" barrel for my PSL rifle. They are a complete press fit barrel, barrel to trunnion, gas block to barrel, front sight to barrel, all have to be within a half thousandths or so to get a good press fit. Talk about a learning experience! Measure 5 times and cut once, but I nailed it! Talk about jumping in with both feet. I would have settled for any good lathe but I'm glad I found a logan, atlas would have been nice too. I was happy because both of these have the V ways and for an entry lathe I find that a plus. Of course a leblond or clausing would have been real nice .
I got lucky when I bought my 14" Clausing. It was at a High school auction of shop cl*** equipment, that stuff is too dangerous for kids ya know. It was a silent auction, I bid 600. When I picked it up I was told I was the only bidder !!! Could have got it for a buck! 600 is a steal, wonderful machine compaired to the old belt drive Lodge and Shiply I had for years
The top lathe I think was made in Cinti ., Oh . LeBlond “ Regal “ model . Is as good as was ever made , if your part isn’t correct , it’s not the fault of this machine . I used one for years , that is what destroyed my Buddy’s hand in the photos . These are true industrial giants , way over built for a home shop .
Any lathe around here will bring a minimum of 800.00 Mine, as found would bring 1000 to 1200.00 all day. Mention a big name like leblond or clausing, even with absolutely no tooling and you better have a fat wallet. It's really easy to find those elsewhere at more reasonable prices but your going to be driving for sometime. Maybe being a smaller town there just isn't much inventory around here thus the ridiculous prices... .
Your lathe came out of Oakdale, not Oakville. Did you buy from a fella on Crane Road? His name is Jason, at the time he had a welding shop and stepped into a good deal on several of Hershey’s equipment, but had no use for the lathe.
Very cool. I loved my South Bend 13". Really wish the fire didn't take it. Enjoy your machine! South Bend kept really good records, so you can contact them with the number off you bed and they will tell you who originally ordered it. Pretty cool.
Sure you're right...I did drive up there to pick it up in my flatbed. I hate the central valley, even my property in Lake County is too hot, but I'm a SoCal boy so can deal with it...anyway, excuse my slip there. I can't remember, but I *think* Jason was the guy I talked to first, but it was his brother's shop I believe, and I am not sure where it was, but he was doing some kinda cool work on a Chevy C10/20 pickup, and welding a bunch of stuff. There's quite a story about me getting it running and I believe they couldn't get it running with how the electrical was modified, but that's for another time...They did know it was a special machine, and I found them through Practical Machinists...the only place to find info on them...but there are more out in the wild now...only about 500 built...I had to really haggle to get the tool cabinet, and Jason's brother said everything was packed to the gills prior to Hershey announcing they were closing the plant, the workers took most all of the good stuff home, and I still got some good tooling, and had some Monarch 10EE I was able to sell, so in the end I have $3k into the machine. It is the most I've paid for any machine I own, and it also the nicest. I told him it would be a shame to split the tooling up for that lathe, and I paid just over $5k for it, it just happened at a time I had the cash and was one of the few willing to buy it. He loaded it on my flatbed with a forklift and I had a rigger remove it from my flatbed at my house who brought a forklift. I did fab some skates to be able to move it, and know now, but it's 4000 lbs, the heaviest machine I also own. If you're interested you can see my <cough> Iron Acquisition Disorder at this link: http://vintagemachinery.org/members/detail.aspx?id=3052 That said, there's guys worse than me, but I was lucky to have gotten a few at decent prices...getting hard to find good machines at a reasonable price. Did you look at the machine before I bought it? Or did you know Jason? Or was Jason the brother? I think it's been like 10 years ago that I bought it. The South Bend 9A was the first lathe I bought, possibly 20 years ago. An auto shop bought it from Levi Strauss, and didn't use it much and sold it to a friend of mine, that did in fact have an Atlas with flat ways. He turned mostly vintage style fountain pens and had planned to use the 9A for that, but as it turns out...tooling is king and most of it was designed for the smaller Atlas and it was a business, not just a hobby as it is for me. I paid $500 for the lathe and it only had the tailstock and the original lantern toolpost. The paint is all 100% original, I think it's worth more than these garage queen paint-job-not-really-resto lathes that look so beautiful. This was the year just after the war ended...April 12th, 1946...steel was at a premium in that day...I thought about selling it recently to free space up, but it's on the bench in the garage with a 911 jammed in front of it, but I am not sure I could sell it...I don't really need the money... I also have a Heavy 10 I got from a Hot Rod builder's nephew in Gilroy, he sold me a complete Heavy 10 with a good amount of tooling and a brand new single phase motor in it, for $200. The autos and trucks he inherited from his Uncle was un-EFFing-real. I have never seen so many hot rods and/or cl***ics at a private residence in my life. His nephew just wanted to get it out of the way...his Uncle was in the process of cleaning it up to use it for car work.
Yea. Lol. Brothers name is Justin. As I recall now (you’ve jarred my memory) Justin got the deal, or worked the deal etc. The lathe I recall now in Jason’s shop was the Monarch. Jason lives toward the highway end of the road. His brother (you may have dealt with) bought a place at the end of the road, I live in the middle. Anyways, damned small world!
Very small world, must have been Jason's brother I believe, and if I'm not mistaken Justin worked for or owned the rigging company the moved all the machines to Mexico, which is where they moved the plant. Similar story with Levi Strauss, they went offshore with all jeans manufacturing. The race to the bottom... Hershey had about a dozen Monarch 10EEs I was told, but this was the only Rivett. Both Jason and Justin knew that these Rivett lathes were special. It had even been crashed at least once...mine is one of the few non-Government Rivetts built. The Goverment had standing orders for any Rivett 1020/1030 lathes produced. The 30 is quite a bit more sought after. I certainly didn't have this Rivett fall of a turnip truck, I feel like I paid good coin for it, and hope I can get my shop built and get it moved in place so my son doesn't have to worry about it, I want my shop setup and fully operational so I can build anything I need. That includes a lift also, I'm tired of crawling under my cars and trucks, raised on jack stands...I would like to work as a real mechanic for a change... Anyway, Hershey had 460v running in the plant, but the machine was originally wired for 230v and it had a transformer that stepped down to single phase, and a small controller motor controls the Reeves drive to allow for infinite speed adjustment within the range. So what Hershey did was run a separate 120v line for the controller circuit and removed the transformer. Then they just wired the 3 phase 5HP to 460v which the motor supported and the brake was powered by the motor, so all was good to go. When Justin removed the lathe the lathe was labeled as 230v and no control circuit to control any of the fast/slow fwd/rev ****ons on the front. Not sure if I got everything right, it's been about 10 years since I bought it.
Yes, it was about 10 years or so ago Jason was showing me what he got from the Hershey plant when things were being sold off. It may not have been the exact Monarch that he had though, I recall it being 3 phase (I know you mentioned 230v) he offered it to me for a real good price, but I didn’t have two dimes to scratch together at the time. One good thing about your machine, I recall being told that all had very little use. Jason showed me a press brake or shear ?? I can’t recall and some other stuff he was keeping. He’d worked at a welding shop in town before going on his own. Anyways, he raved about the almost non-existent wear in the equipment he picked up. Heck, a bare EE 10 years ago was going for 3500. You did good.
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